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Memorial Day: More Than Just a Vacation Day The News & Advance Published: May 25, 2008 Say the phrase “Memorial Day,” and more people than you’d imagine will think of city pools opening, the first three-day weekend of the year, cookouts, the unofficial start of summer, big sales at the mall. Fewer and fewer people today would first think it’s the day to honor America’s war dead. How sad it is that the nation’s most somber holiday has turned into a day for pool parties, grilling up some burgers and dogs and snagging some bargains on markdown. Over the course...

ADS GmbH and BAE Systems Hägglunds have initiated a cooperation to integrate the Active Armor Concept (AAC), the Swedish version of AMAP-ADS, on the SEP platform. The design goal is to accomplish a highly mobile, light-weight and superiorly protected vehicle. The integrated concept was demonstrated on the 17th of April in Sweden and showed an excellent ability to withstand a typical urban warfare scenario in different aspects. During the demonstration the following attacks were performed: * Firing with 7.62 as an example of a non-threat (threat rejection) * Firing with 2 RPG-7 at the same hit point as an example...

WASHINGTON - The Democratic-led House on Thursday rejected more funds to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as many Republicans angry over the majority party's tactics sat out the vote. It did approve more money for the jobless and an expansion of GI education benefits. In a rapid series of votes on the war funding bill and accompanying components, Republicans withheld their votes in protest, leading to the defeat of the Iraq funding legislation by a 149-141 tally. Nearly two-thirds of the House's Democrats voted against continuing to fund the war. Democrats then forced through a nonbinding plan...

Hobbit wars April 24th, 2008Small islanders show no signs of growth disorderDeeper lookComputer-generated reconstructions (bottom) of the fossilized skulls of the small islanders suggest that, contrary to corresponding photos (top), these "hobbits" belonged to a unique species.K. Smith/Mallinckrodt Inst. Radiology, Wash. Univ. St. Louis; E. Indriati, D. FrayerCOLUMBUS, Ohio —Defenders of a small humanlike species that lived on an Indonesian island more than 12,000 years ago have launched their latest scientific counterattacks against critics of their position. Remains of Homo floresiensis, also referred to as hobbits, display no signs of growth disorders proposed by researchers who regard the fossils as...

Though foreign policy is rarely salient in peacetime elections, Americans have been almost persuaded by their president, George Bush, that they are not at peace. To visit America at present is to be reminded of the continuing trauma of post-9/11, of a nation that craves a cohering substitute psychosis for the lifting of the Soviet menace. It is seen in ubiquitous threat alerts, hysterical airport security, the continued acceptance of Guantánamo Bay and even jibes about public figures not wearing the American flag in their buttonhole. A country in so many ways a kaleidoscope of the world is in many...

Footnote.com partnered with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to link the service records and casualty reports to each name on the Wall. “The records of the Vietnam War in the National Archives are essential resources for veterans to revisit their history and establish their rights,” explains Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein. “These extensive files are mined by scholars every day as they continue to interpret and understand this pivotal period in American history.” Footnote.com will also be digitizing National Archives photos from the Vietnam War. Footnote.com and the National Archives Launch an Interactive Vietnam War MemorialAbout...

US weaponry goliath Northrop Grumman says it has achieved the "first major building block" necessary for manufacture of a 100 kilowatt solid-state laser - that is, a viable battlefield raygun. The company said yesterday that its Joint High-Powered Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) programme has "exceeded all target requirements of its second major demonstration milestone". This was the trial of a "laser chain" with 15 kilowatt power. Northrop intends to combine eight such units to produce a single laser beam of more than 100 kilowatts - which is generally considered the level at which energy beams would become useful combat weapons....

Human beings have never lacked for things to fight over, but for the last two millennia, they have fought the most over ideas involving the divine. Politics, technology, military capacity, and diseases have all played decisive roles in shaping history, yet it is impossible to understand the rise and fall of empires, the clash of civilizations, and the evolving balance of power without appreciating the unique fervor that religion inspires, and the speed with which new religions can spread. Christianity, a minority sect during much of the Roman Empire, became a world religion with a vast following after the Emperor...

It's a truism that a presidential candidate acts as a vessel for the dreams and beliefs of his followers. We've seen this for years with Madame Hillary, and more recently with Mike Huckabee. But nowhere has it been more evident than in the case of Barack Obama. With Obama it appears at least in part to be a matter of strategy. His campaign persona is so vague, and slogans such as "the audacity of hope" and "the politics of unity" so generic that they could mean anything, which is exactly what they've been taken to mean. Commentators, pundits, and voters...

China has been promoting arms-for-oil deals with Africa as the continent is becoming one of its major sources of oil. Since last year, top Chinese leaders and military officers have made frequent visits to Africa. And at the Zhuhai Air Show under way this week in southern China's Guangdong province, military delegations from African countries including Sudan, Angola and Zimbabwe have made frequent appearances. In 2005, Angola exported to China nearly 17.5 million tons of crude oil, becoming China's second largest oil supplier after Saudi Arabia. Oil from Angola makes up nearly 14 percent of China's annual oil imports, valued...

ISLAMIC APARTHEID - ARAB RACISM, OPPRESSIONS, SLAVERY, MASS RAPE, GENOCIDE _________ http://thingsoffensivetoislam.blogspot.com/2007/09/things-offensive-to-muslims-black-race.html Things Offensive to Muslims : the BLACK racehttp://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/018189.php Evidently the jihadists didn't get the memo about how Islam eschews all racism, etc., despite some of the, shall we say, dodgier statements of Muhammad [“You should listen to and obey your ruler even if he was an Ethiopian (black) slave whose head looks like a raisin.”]. There they go, misunderstanding their own religion again. On September 18, Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV labeled U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice a "black snake." The phrase is circled in the above image.// Arab...

The group, the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), said it attacked the facility, run by a Chinese-led consortium in the Defra oilfield. Jem said its action was a message to China to stop helping the Sudanese government with their war in Darfur.

This a video which was a long and hard work, but there it is: tribute to the 7th cavalry in the Indian Territory, Korea, Vietnam, the Pacific Front, Kuwait, Iraq. Garry Owen to these US heroes then and now!

HISTORY - Time line [some] Important dates in radical ISLAM VS WORLD 1263 - 1328 The 'Godfather of Islamic Fundamentalism' Who is the True Godfather of Islamic Fundamentalism? His name is Ibn Taymiyyah, or Taq ad-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah, and he lived from 1263 to 1328. His name by birth was Ahmad ibn Abdul-Halim ibn Abdas-Salaam. This individual could be considered as the real godfather of fundamentalism. Maududi borrowed extensively from Taymiyyah's writings. http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/index.php? id=1194248__________________1347 [The Bahmani sultans & genocide on Indians]The Muslim conquests, down to the 16th century, were for the Hindus a pure struggle of life and death....

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House has begun exploring ways of offering the US Congress a compromise deal on Iraq that might involve greater decentralization of the country, The Los Angeles Times reported on its website Sunday. Citing unnamed officials, the newspaper said President George W. Bush has authorized an internal policy review to find a plan that could satisfy opponents without sacrificing his top goals

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon: Islamist militants locked in a standoff with the Lebanese army threatened on Thursday to widen attacks as tanks and helicopter gunships pounded their strongholds inside an impoverished refugee camp. The warning came on the 19th day of the battle as sporadic fire continued to range between troops fighting Fatah al-Islam militiamen at Nahr al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon.

TROY, MICHIGAN The Bible teaches that in the end times there will be 'wars and rumors of wars.' While popular Bible prophecy teacher Jack Van Impe has no control over the first part of that statement, he definitely believes he can contribute to the last part, and thus plans now to devote his ministry to the spread of 'rumors of wars.' "I feel it is my calling and my duty to hasten the end times." Said Van Impe. "I can't start a war. I'm not the leader of a nation. But I can start 'rumors of wars,' and that's what...

Fan of TheForce.net Helen H. writes in with this great info. "Just got back from this presentation at the Directors Guild of America. George Lucas was tonight’s guest speaker. Here, very briefly, are the highlights: Quote: “the future is in television.” That’s why he’s concentrating on an animated series and live action series, not features. Indy Jones Chronicles are currently being cleaned up, are having documentaries added to them and will be shopped as “films for a modern day high school history class.” He’s hoping they’re released on DVDs very soon. He’s very excited about the animated 3D Clone Wars...

National Security: Nearly 24 years have passed since Ronald Reagan was ridiculed for proposing a system that would detect, track and destroy incoming ballistic missiles. But in a year, such a system will be on line. Can’t hit a bullet with a bullet, the critics of Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative imperiously sniffed. Mary McGrory of the Washington Post mocked Reagan’s proposal as “a Buck Rogers plan.” Others, Sen. Ted Kennedy among the first, derided the plan as “Star Wars.” It was dismissed as too expensive, too iffy and too destabilizing to the geopolitical order — just another dimwitted idea from...

Czechs give go-ahead for US 'son of stars wars' base · Prague says move is good for European security· Russia threatens to review its own missile defences Ian Traynor, Europe editor Monday January 22, 2007 The Guardian (UK) The Czech government has announced that it wants to host a large US military site for the Pentagon's much-criticised missile shield system, confirming for the first time that Washington had asked Prague for permission to build a radar site for the national missile defence programme. Russia had warned earlier this month that any extension of the US missile project to eastern...

by Ken Concannon Other Articles by Ken Concannon Eugenics,Then and Now 10/07/06 One of the sorriest episodes in the 230-year history of our country is the eugenics craze that swept through America in the early decades of the last century. Endorsed by the intellectual elite and our most prominent citizens, the eugenics movement was responsible for racial, class and ethnic intolerance as well as civil rights violations that would be totally unconscionable in today’s politically correct American culture. In This Article...They Breed Horses, Don’t They?By Any Other NameAn Attack on People of Color They Breed Horses, Don’t They? Yet we rarely...

By CAROLINE GLICK Since the cease-fire was implemented in Lebanon, we have heard scattered reports indicating that a prisoner swap with the Palestinians may be in the works. In exchange for hundreds if not thousands of Palestinian terrorists now held in Israeli prisons, IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who has been held hostage by Palestinian terrorists for nearly two months, may be released from captivity. These reports lend weight to the view that things are back to normal. Terrorists kidnap Israelis and hold them hostage and Israel releases terrorists in order to free them. It is a comforting thought for people...

Since the cease-fire was implemented in Lebanon, we have heard scattered reports indicating that a prisoner swap with the Palestinians may be in the works. In exchange for hundreds if not thousands of Palestinian terrorists now held in Israeli prisons, IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who has been held hostage by Palestinian terrorists for nearly two months, may be released from captivity. These reports lend weight to the view that things are back to normal. Terrorists kidnap Israelis and hold them hostage and Israel releases terrorists in order to free them. It is a comforting thought for people like Prime Minister...

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq, Aug. 15, 2006 – Iran is fighting two proxy wars, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told servicemembers here Aug. 13. Marine Gen. Peter Pace told servicemembers gathered at the camp chapel that Iran is “fighting a proxy war against Israel by supporting Hezbollah” in Lebanon. Iran also is fighting a proxy war against Iraq and the United States by supporting elements inside Iraq. Pace said the preferred method of dealing with Iran is via diplomacy. The international community must place pressure on Iran to end its support of the Hezbollah terror group in southern...

We've deluded ourselves into believing in the myth of the noble and peaceful primitive Nicholas Wade's Before The Dawn is one of those books full of eye-catching details. For example, did you know the Inuit have the largest brains of any modern humans? Something to do with the cold climate. Presumably, if this global warming hooey ever takes off, their brains will be shrinking with the ice caps. But the passage that really stopped me short was this: "Both Keeley and LeBlanc believe that for a variety of reasons anthropologists and their fellow archaeologists have seriously underreported the prevalence of...

A PROGRAM of clandestine action against nuclear and missile traffic to North Korea and Iran is to be intensified after last week's missile tests by the Pyongyang regime. Intelligence agencies, navies and air forces from at least 13 nations are quietly co-operating in a secret war against Pyongyang and Tehran. It has so far involved interceptions of North Korean ships at sea, US agents prowling the waterfronts in Taiwan, multinational naval and air surveillance missions out of Singapore, investigators poring over the books of dubious banks in the former Portuguese colony of Macau and a fleet of planes and ships...

"North Korea’s threatening spate of missile launches — including an unsuccessful try with an advanced version of its Taepodong 2 Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile that is capable of hitting the United States — has sparked a cacophony of talk from leaders and foreign policy experts around the world. As they debate and discuss various options at the United Nations and in capitals around the globe, the rudimentary U.S. missile defense system is poised to shoot down anything launched from North Korea that threatens the American homeland or the critical interests of our regional allies like Japan and Australia. Noticeably absent are...

" Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused...

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2006 – Every U.S. servicemember lost in the global war on terror is a tragedy, but as the United States honors them this Memorial Day, it's important to recognize that some things are worth fighting for, and even dying for, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said last night on CNN's "Larry King Live." "War is the last choice of anyone with any sense at all," Rumsfeld said. "It is a terrible, terrible thing." But sometimes it represents the only real choice, he said. "If we tossed in the towel every time we had a problem in this...

Didn't see a hit when I did a search. Lockheed Martin received a $379 million contract from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command for the production of 112 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missiles. The contract also includes launcher modification kits, program management and engineering, as well as spares and other necessary equipment. The PAC-3 Missile is currently the world's only fielded hit-to-kill, pure kinetic energy air defense missile.

The United States is engaged in two wars: the war on drugs and the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). These conflicts have stretched U.S. Special Operation Forces (SOF) thin. Many units are in their third overseas deployment in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom. I recently deployed to Iraq, where I was assigned to Combined Joint Special Operations task Force- Arabian Peninsula. There, I witnessed firsthand how skills learned during domestic counterdrug missions could directly affect the success of counterinsurgency operations. My 8 years of U.S. Army National Guard (ARNG) counterdrug experience proved helpful in solving some of...

10:17 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm welcome. It is an honor to stand with the men and women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars -- again. This is one of America's great organizations. I appreciate the proud and patriotic work you do across America. Thanks for your hard work in our nation's capital to make sure our government listens to the concerns of our veterans. (Applause.)

For years uncounted, the United States has engaged in the noble practice of exporting American-style freedom. We first cleaned up our own back yard by ending slavery. We were successful in World Wars I and II. We could only reach a tie in the Korean War however, and we failed in Viet Nam. Now we are trying to export our brand of freedom to a Middle East that still exists in the Seventh Century and we continue, to a lesser degree, to export our best product to Communist China. More and more, we see anti-American demonstrations in the European nations...

If all a person did was read the New York and LA Times for news you would probably think the world was going to hell in a handbasket. According to a new report, the world is actually getting less dangerous. Yes, you heard me right. Less dangerous. a popularly held belief of people these days is that the world has more wars, is getting more violent, and more people are dying because of armed conflicts, but the facts don't support this line of thought. Andrew Mack from the University of British Columbia is one of the smart people who released...

I am currently engaged in a debate with a Peacenik. I know in the past I have read threads which contained information on all the current world conflicts and listed the parties involved - and how most involved Muslims. Can someone please repost this information or provide a link as I cannot find it on here or on Google. Thanks in advance.

VS. This site attempts to bring some objectivity to the OS wars by comparing over 100 topics relating to Mac OS X (10.4) and Windows XP (Home and Pro). . . .

The following photo's are by Sergeant First Class Elzie Ray Golden THE AFTER ACTION REVIEW THE AUDIE MURPHY '94 TRACKING BIN LADEN First Place DINFOS MILGRAPH 2002, Military Graphic Competition, Fine Art category STRAC INSTRUCTOR M60 RANGE INSTRUCTOR M60 SQUAD TACTICS SATAN'S SANDBOX STREET FIGHT THE HIZARA PROVINCE * * * * * * * * * * * "The Kosovo Collection"by Master Sergeant Henrietta Snowden "PEACEKEEPER" "VIGILANT" "PROTEST AT VITINA" "WAITING TO PHONE HOME" "82ND BN COMBAT ENGINEERS" "VIEW OF CAMP BONDSTEEL FROM MY TENT" "FORT A.P. HILL, VIRGINIA" "FORT HAMILTON, NEW YORK" "FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, MARYLAND" "1950...

Trade: The House's cliffhanger 217-215 passage of the Central America Free Trade Agreement is a decisive victory for free markets and democracy. It's also Ronald Reagan's final triumph. This victory is President Reagan's legacy. Because CAFTA, by slashing duties and giving free markets a boost, makes Reagan's Caribbean Basin Initiative permanent. As such, CAFTA creates a vast permanent bulwark against totalitarianism that will benefit the U.S. and its southern neighbors. Central America now has a bright future based on the one thing that makes democracies strong and nations viable — free markets. Reagan knew that in the struggle against tyranny,...

George Lucas’ Empire Gets Its Revenge N.R. Archive. Boston -- May 2005. The final act in the Star Wars cycle, titled Star Wars – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, has laid bare creator George Lucas’ underlying left-wing critique of American Empire. For many Americans, the original Star Wars (1977), was an exhilarating portrayal of courage and heroic struggle against tyranny and an evil galactic empire (in that age, generally perceived as against Soviet imperialism). Indeed, for most of the 1980s the political discourse in our country over how America would meet the challenge of confronting a dying and desperate...

The other night Ann Coulter asked my boss, Chris Ruddy how old I am. That got me thinking that since late next week I'll be having a birthday, it might be instructive to recall not how old I am chronologically, but how old I am to be able to remember a whole lot of stuff. My friend Michael Reagan, no spring chicken himself, was kind enough the other day to tell me that I am as old as dirt, and suggested that I had been around long enough to have been baptized by John the Baptist. That's not quite true,...

It's correct that there is political commotion mounting in opposition to the Iraq war. It is important to distinguish between two kinds. One, which is gaining attention, centers on misrepresentations. The so-called Downing Street Memo is cited. This records an exchange at 10 Downing St. on July 23, 2002, at which, it is said, the representatives of Mr. Bush made it clear that the president had resolved to proceed against Iraq irrespective of what the United Nations might do. Rejecting that account, the Bush people have said that the invasion was not finally planned until after the appeal to the...

We, the sensible of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid any further idiocy, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great grandchildren, hereby try one more time to obtain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt-ridden delusional, and other stupid bedwetters. We hold these truths to be self-evident that a whole lot of people were confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim that they require a Bill of No Rights. ARTICLE...

After the September 11 terrorist attacks, there were predictions that the war on terror would signal a return to more traditional gender roles, with manly men assuming their place as women's protectors in a dangerous world. But in fact, like many earlier wars, the military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq have expanded women's role in America's armed forces. The recent quiet defeat of an attempt by some congressional Republicans to curb women's service in combat zones shows the widespread new acceptance of women warriors in American culture. Yet the debate over women at war remains complex and rife with contradictions....

The number of wars has been declining sharply since the end of the Cold War. There were about fifty wars going on in 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed. Ten years later, there were half as many. Even after the 911 attacks, and the invasion of Iraq, the number of wars continued to decline. Today, it is about twenty. We track sixteen as active (Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Sudan, Colombia, Kashmir, Pakistan, Ivory Coast, Congo, Somalia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Chechnya, Burundi and Thailand.), plus about a dozen that are really low level, just ended (and still liable to restart) or...

Trade wars threaten world recession By Richard Spencer in Beijing (Filed: 21/05/2005) To the British high street shopper, a made-in-China sweater is a cheap addition to the children's wardrobe. But to economists and politicians from President George W Bush to Peter Mandelson, the EU trade commissioner, to China's secretive Politburo, it embodies the threat of a new world recession. The value of the yuan is kept artifically lowEver harsher words are being exchanged between Brussels, Beijing and Washington about growing imbalances in trade, as illustrated by Chinese goods piled high in western shops. The low-cost factories of China, which have...

<p>To those who say we should use our military in an effort to overthrow tyrants and promote justice around the world, I would ask: which, if any, wars would you avoid?</p> <p>There are always a lot of tyrants and much injustice in the world, so we're talking about a policy of perpetual war.</p>

The Civil War's Tragic Legacy The Civil War produced at least two important outcomes. First, although it was not President Lincoln's intent, it freed slaves in the Confederate States. Second, it settled, through the force of arms, the question of whether states could secede from the Union. The causes of and the issues surrounding America's most costly war, in terms of battlefield casualties, are still controversial. Even its name the - Civil War - is in dispute, and plausibly so. A civil war is a struggle between two or more factions seeking to control the central government. Modern examples of...

Just heard on O'Reilly that a supporter for an Oscar nomination for Michael Moore's crockumentary is George Lucas. You'd think this guy would know better!

   by Fr. James Farfaglia Other Articles by Fr. James FarfagliaContact this Author America at the Crossroads 10/25/04 On Tuesday, November 2, all Americans eligible to vote will once again have the responsibility to make prudent choices concerning those who will govern us for the next few years. Catholics across the nation need to keep in mind that they have a moral obligation to choose those candidates who will defend life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. The war between the culture of life and the culture of death has become so dramatic that the very...